Katherine Jackson Disappointed Over AEG Verdict

Katherine Jackson is a “strong woman” who won’t just beat it after losing her bid to collect $1.5 billion in damages from the King of Pop’s last concert promoter, her lawyer said Thursday.

“She’s obviously disappointed, but she’s a very strong woman,” lead plaintiff’s lawyer Brian Panish told the Daily News in an exclusive interview Thursday.

“She’s been through a lot in life, and she’s doing the best she can. She only wants what is best for Michael’s children, who are her No. 1 priority.”

He said the five-month wrongful death trial was “a search for the truth” that likely didn’t end with Wednesday’s verdict.

“There’s going to be more to this story. I don’t think it’s over yet,” Panish said. “We’re not giving up all hope yet.”

He said Katherine, 83, was heartened by the jury’s unanimous vote that AEG Live did in fact hire Dr. Conrad Murray.
AEG Live argued during the trial that it was Michael who hired the doctor now serving four years for providing the anesthetic propofol that killed him in his bedroom on June 25, 2009.

“AEG denied it all along, but the truth was that AEG hired the doctor who killed Michael Jackson,” Panish said.
He declined to give specifics on how he might file an appeal, but said he believes the wording of the verdict form question that decided the case in AEG’s favor was possibly faulty.

Good thing she is being strong.

The form had 16 questions total. But jurors were instructed to stop at the second question and award no damages if at least nine jurors voted “no” on the query, “Was Dr. Conrad Murray unfit or incompetent to perform the work for which he was hired?”

Jurors who spoke after the verdict said Murray was qualified to act as Michael’s general practitioner — not an anesthesiologist — at the time of his hiring.

“Conrad Murray had a license, he graduated from an accredited college, and we felt he was competent to do the job of being a general practitioner,” said jury foreman Gregg Barden.

“Now that doesn’t mean that we thought he was ethical. Had the word ‘ethical’ been in the question, it could have been a different outcome.”

Panish also said some jurors expressed annoyance over the length of the trial that started last April — possibly leading to a bias against Katherine as the plaintiff.

“They were upset about how long it took. They told the judge that in her chambers,” he said, referring to a 20-minute closed-door session the judge held with the jurors and lawyers for both parties after the verdict.

Katherine was “taking a break” Thursday and not giving any direct media interviews, her personal lawyer Perry Sanders told The News.

He released a statement on her behalf late Wednesday that slammed AEG for repeatedly calling Katherine’s lawsuit “a shakedown.”

“Such a statement is a slap in the face of the entire judicial system that allowed this case to get to a jury,” the statement said.

First, this verdict and then Conrad Murray is scheduled to be released soon? The Jackson family is going through a lot.